Audience members leaving their seats before curtain call- Page 3

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 12:26pm

If someone wants to leave early, that's their prerogative.

What bothers me is when people leave early and disrupt the audience around them- like forcing everyone to stand so they can make their way down the aisle, standing and blocking the view of the stage, talking and gathering belongs during final scenes, etc. If they have no problem being disrespectful to the performers, fine, that only reflects on them. But I paid for my ticket too and I shouldn't have to tolerate them being rude to me.

[Renart]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 1:28pm

"As a professional in the industry who watches audience members across the country 8 times a week, this is my number one pet peeve. There is no excuse for leaving before the curtain call is done. It's rude and selfish- it says "I'm done, I've been entertained, I'm leaving- I don't care about anyone but myself and what I want." Transportation woes are just a weak excuse- this is not just a New York thing, it happens everywhere, in every town America, in places that have monster parking facilities with numerous exits and no easily available public transportation (i.e., everyone drives to the venue).

Really? Late night train problems? That's one of the reasons shows do matinees...

I have never done a performance of any show in any city where there weren't people leaving early. Good or bad show, matinee or evening, it doesn't matter.

It is just flat out selfishness. If 3 more minutes is going to make or break your ride home, maybe you should make other plans or find a better place to park. This ranks up there with people who make noise during the show/take photos/don't turn off their phones: bad, selfish, disrespectful behavior.

For those who defend leaving early: try a little role-reversal. How would you like it if you just spent the last couple of hours entertaining an audience only to watch people leave at their earliest available opportunity? If you think you can't be seen by the actors, musicians and stagehands- think again. You can be seen and it's insulting."


I was pretty ambivalent about this topic until I read this response. How much more arrogant or self-centered can one be? I don't owe you anything. If you want everyone who takes a bus or train or drives a car to the theater to stay home, then fine: "Buh-bye live theater." I'll go to any damn show I want. I'm also guessing there are not many people in your line who have children at home being watched by a babysitter (who charges by the hour.)

I've never left before or during a curtain call, but your post makes me want to find out what show you're working and leave early, just to spite you.

So just cash your paycheck and shut up.

[mikem]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 1:57pm

I find this whole discussion fascinating and am spending way too much time thinking about the social implications of these kinds of issues. I'm curious to know what people think about these situations:

If you sitting in the very back row on the outer aisle under the overhang, and you duck out during the last blackout so the cast members don't see you leave and you haven't disrupted any other audience members, have you still violated some type of social contract by leaving before the curtain call? I've gone back and forth about this in my head and can't decide. On one hand, one of the things that makes theater special is the communal experience between the actor and the audience. On the other hand, the audience is paying and it is ultimately a business contract.

And what about:

If you are sitting in front row center in full view of the cast and the star comes out and everyone around you is cheering wildly, and you thought the performance was HORRIBLE, is it worse to applaud when you don't mean it at all or not to applaud right in front of the actor? What if every other person in the place is standing -- should you stand as well even though you thought it stunk or not stand, again right in front of the actor?

What do you guys think?

Updated On: 4/23/10 at 01:57 PM

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 2:16pm

There are many reasons you may have to leave early. As an actor, I agree it's annoying and can be seen as a sign of disrespect, but it's not worth getting too bent out of shape.

But here's the thing. Curtain calls aren't new. They've been around a few years, I think. So, yeah...it's part of the bargain.

However, the indignant folk here who have the attidue of 'I paid my ticket and I'll leave when I damn well feel like'? Just one piece of advice:

Stay the f*ck home. We don't need your money.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 2:22pm

I think giving a standing ovation or not is a totally different situation all together. I don't think it is rude at all to not do so, regardless of where you are sitting. For example, I ended up in the front row at Xanadu in the Helen Hayes Theatre with nobody sitting in the 2 seats next to me, and them being the only 3 seats in that row. The stage was so close and low, that I could easily have put my feet up there. When it came to the cast coming out at the end, I felt it would have been too close for comfort to stand up.

[ravnquest1]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 2:28pm

Whatever2 and Renart-

You respond to my post, which you call arrogant/self-centered/selfish, with statements that are more self-centered than anything I said. You proved my point exactly- you've been entertained and you are done, you are the people that only do what you want- nothing else is on your radar. I don't agree that buying a ticket gives you the right to do whatever you please, it gives you admission to the performance- that's all.

If you were the one onstage, you would understand.

Let me be clear:

It's not about me. That's not at all what I said or implied- don't put words in my mouth. It's about respect for the collective and for the performers. Something larger than a single individual, something that goes back centuries. The act of turning your back to stage while the cast takes their bows is disrespectful.

You act as if this is an additional act, or some huge additional time commitment. It's not. It's a few more minutes. For the record, I also believe that while it's nice to stay for a BC/EFA speech, that's optional.

No one is asking you to stand (I agree that standing ovations in America have lost meaning and impact), but at least respect the tradition and the people onstage, as well as the poeple around you. It's a basic thing.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 2:29pm

SonofRobbieJ ... so you would rather have people not come to see your show just because they feel they can leave when the show is over and not stay for curtain calls? How selfish of you. Applaud me, adore me, cheer me. Lovely.

[Piper3500]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 2:48pm

^Although they are two different issues - Standing O's and leaving early...

As actors, and knowing it is almost a norm to be done, wouldn't you feel like sh&t if you didn't get one? like you didn't do a good job?

and ravnquest...I got what you were saying and a CAST is an ensemble effort even if there are two huge leads. but just as times change, demands change, and PRICES change; many actors I know understand when people have to leave as they feel supported with one paying the huge ticket prices.

like i said, it's not like not tipping at a restaurant, people have paid for the show and it DOES not mean they don't respect the art or the show if they have to leave.

I honestly do see both sides but do not think EVERYONE who leaves are being selfish and disrespectful. I have had it done to me and I have never done it, but that does not make me assume of everyone as a collective whole.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 2:51pm

Really? Late night train problems? That's one of the reasons shows do matinees...

Really? Matinees? Most people have a thing during the day called "work."


It is just flat out selfishness. If 3 more minutes is going to make or break your ride home, maybe you should make other plans.

If a few people leaving early is that upsetting to you, maybe you're in the wrong business. I agreed with the posts saying that people who rush out early are usually rude, with the obvious qualifiers of having to catch a train/use the restroom/emergency, etc. but your post is just so bitchy and entitled. You're not so important that people should miss a train home just to make you happy.

And if you want to bitch about people leaving early to catch a train, then make sure the show begins on time, and not 15 minutes late.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:00pm

"so you would rather have people not come to see your show just because they feel they can leave when the show is over and not stay for curtain calls?"

People who have such contempt for the people performing onstage that they take the attitude of 'I paid for my ticket and can damn well do what I please,' even when it disrupts the actors and fellow audience members (who ALSO paid for their ticket) should stay the f*ck home. Honestly...what's the point of going? Theatre is a communal art in which the artists and the audience are constantly providing feedback to each other that makes it unlike any other artform. If you don't want to hold up your end of the bargain, fine. But then I'm gonna call you an a**hole and tell you to stay the f*ck home.

As stated...there are many reasons one might have to leave early. I don't let it bother me cause I don't know someone's circumstances. But the attitude shown here?? Reprehensible and disgusting.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:03pm

We're not talking about the audience leaving en masse before the curtain calls; this is about the disdain that is being shown to the handful of people who choose, for whatever their reason, to not stick around. It does not show disrespect for the cast, creative team or art form. When the curtain comes down, the play is over. Curtain calls are like an addendum, an extra added feature. In the opera world, only the principle singers take curtain calls, the chorus usually does not. Some of these posts, especially from those who have admitted to working in the theatre, make it sound like getting applause is just as important as doing the work. Yes, curtain calls are a theatrical tradition, but there is no reason to chastise anyone who chooses not to stay to feed your ego. If you're going to tell someone to stay the f*ck home if you're not going to stick around for curtain calls, sounds to me like you're in the business for the wrong reasons.

[Piper3500]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:10pm

it is pretty hypocritical

the show is over...so people can leave. *to many, this is wrong and disrespectful.

the show is over...the actors do not have to go to the stage door and give autographs and meet fans - * to many, this is right and allowed because they did their job.

and i'm sorry, but if it costs a family a mortgage payment to go the theatre and they need to get home, so be it.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:11pm

If you actually read what I wrote, you would see that people leaving the theatre before or during curtain call doesn't really bother me more than a mild annoyance. Why? Cause I can't possibly know what's going on with them. Maybe they just want to get home early, maybe they have to go to the bathroom, maybe they are sick. I simply don't know, nor do I care to guess. If they feel they have a good enough reason to leave, fine.

What I do know is that there are people on here who are claiming that they can do whatever the f*ck they want simply because they bought a ticket. That is to whom I'm speaking. It's an entitled, ridiculous attitude that seems to discount the eons of people actually applauding performances.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:24pm

I don't think these people are saying "I paid for a tkt, I can do whatever I want" ... they're not saying they want to text, eat, talk, etc. during the show. I take it to mean "I paid for my ticket and I'll leave when I feel like it." I see nothing wrong with that. Buying a ticket is not buying a prison sentence for 2 hours. If you're bored, not enjoying the play, not feeling well, want to beat the long lines at the parking garage, want to get home before the babysitter charges your for another hour, whatever ... you have every right to leave, but you do it as discreetly and unobtrusively as possible. Making a scene about it is a whole different ballgame. Leaving at that specific moment between curtain coming down and curtain calls beginning ... what's wrong with that?

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:27pm

"I paid $$ for my ticket so I can do whatever the f&ck I want!" AND "Who cares if they miss a train or piss themselves, no one should ever leave during a curtain call!" are BOTH incredibly selfish, entitled statements.

The proper way of thought is "It's polite to stay for the curtain call, both to show your appreciation for the actors and because sometimes they will perform an encore, so if you leave you may miss something fun. BUT, of course it is not required and of course situations may occur where one must duck out early and no one will hold it against you as long as you are not rude/loud/disruptive in your leaving."

[Renart]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:28pm

Like I wrote, I was pretty ambivalent about the issue. And I also wrote that I have never done it myself. There were many other posts expressing negative opinions of the practice. However, yours was the most mean-spirited. Essentially telling people who don't live within walking distance of the theater that they should just stay home rather than hurt your feelings is not the best way to promote live theater. You are in no position to judge someone who needs to leave when the show is over (and after the finale and bows, it IS over). (Besides, if everyone else is standing for an ovation, whose view are they blocking?)

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:32pm

Is it REALLY that much to ask the audience to stay for the curtain call? REALLY??? Now...I get it...sometimes it's not possible for whatever reason. But people are acting like it's an inconvenience. Why do people go to the theatre then?? What is the point? Go to a movie. It's cheaper. And you don't have to applaud.

As for someone claiming hypocrisy, I answer thus:

As an audience member, I always stay to the end of a curtain call. ALWAYS. As an actor, if someone asks me for my autograph or a bit of my time because they liked my work, I always give it. ALWAYS.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:41pm

Sometimes staying for the curtain call IS an inconvenience. Why should someone not see a show because they can't stay for the bows? That makes no sense whatsoever. I don't go to the theatre for the curtain calls; I go for the show.

Again, this is just about a handful of people; we all know the majority of the audiences does stay for curtain calls.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:48pm

Curtain calls are built into the show. The show is over when the lights come up. That's usually (but not always) after the curtain call.

Again, I don't really care if someone leaves early. Espcially if they do it in such a way that doesn't disrupt other members of the audience. And I never EVER claimed that only people who live within walking distance of the theatre should go (Hooked on Phonics much?).

But the absolute disregard shown by a few people in this thread to the artists who are performing is shocking. It's not the people leaving I take issue with. It's some of the comments in this thread. On a theatre message board. Where, I assume (and maybe that's where I'm going wrong here) people have a healthy respect for the theatre and those who practice it.

[Piper3500]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:50pm

^
i am not talking about you per se and I was just mentioning two schools of thought in two different threads about what is "expected" or the questioning as to what is proper etiquette.

i can echo a post to..."start the show on time."

generally, most actors do give autographs, and most people stay for curtain call. for me, if i pay for a show it means i want to really see it and i would never dream of leaving. and i also always stand. people can mock me for that if they want, i don't care. :)

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:55pm

I NEVER expect a standing ovation. If they happen, they are delicious and wonderful and I love it. But I never expect it.

I guess I feel the need to explain my behavior because that's the only thing I can control in my life...the way I react to things. As I do not know what is in a person's mind if they leave before (no big deal) or during (slightly more annoying) a curtain call, I can't judge anyone for doing it.

But I will judge someone for statments they make here being dismissive and entitled.

As for starting a show late, I can tell you there is nothing I hate more. You use your time to prepare yourself for the show, and then you're kept in a holding pattern that is just dreafully annoying. So...you are not alone in that boat!
Updated On: 4/23/10 at 03:55 PM

[WestVillage]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:57pm

"Curtain calls are built into the show. The show is over when the lights come up."

I disagree with that. The show is over when, in the script, it says "the end" or "curtain" or "blackout" or just nothing at all. The curtain call is an add-on for the audience to show their appreciation and the actors to get their recognition. While some actors take their bows "in character", at the point of the curtain call, you are applauding the actor, not the character. If the curtain call was indeed part of the show, any character who dies during the show should not be back on stage taking a bow. So in my mind, the curtain call takes place after the show has ended.

[Renart]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 3:58pm

"I don't think these people are saying "I paid for a tkt, I can do whatever I want" ... they're not saying they want to text, eat, talk, etc. during the show. I take it to mean "I paid for my ticket and I'll leave when I feel like it." I see nothing wrong with that. Buying a ticket is not buying a prison sentence for 2 hours. If you're bored, not enjoying the play, not feeling well, want to beat the long lines at the parking garage, want to get home before the babysitter charges your for another hour, whatever ... you have every right to leave, but you do it as discreetly and unobtrusively as possible. Making a scene about it is a whole different ballgame. Leaving at that specific moment between curtain coming down and curtain calls beginning ... what's wrong with that?"

I agree with this. What I was bothered by was a certain poster's opinion that the very act of leaving (regardless of reason) is a personal affront. WestVillage reiterates the relevant point that it is the *manner* in which a person leaves which is more disruptive rather than the exact timing. If someone needs (or wants) to leave, as long as they do so discretely, who are we to judge?

I'm curious to know how many theater professionals have ever left a function or event early (sporting event, church, work, etc) because they had to rush to an audition or because they had to report to the theater or because they had something else they had to do. Was that disrespectful to the people who organized *those* events?

[Piper3500]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 4:01pm

^
absolutely. especially with adrenaline running, you just want to get out there.

everyone feels like that, regardless of high school, adult amateur, semi-professional of paid professional theatre.

I am not suggesting that actors EXPECT a standing O either. Even if no one was standing and I felt it deserved, I would do it. I am not a follower by any stretch.

so, do I already have your autograph

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 4/23/10 at 4:10pm

Probably not! I'm a nobody. But even nobodies get asked for their autograph sometime.

As for curtain calls, they are generally (not always) staged by the director. They are built into the show. They have light and, sometimes, sound cues written into it. So, you can choose to believe that they are not a part of the show. But in every practical way, they are.

And the direct quote in this thread that set me off was "If I've paid for the ticket, I'll leave when I damn well feel like it."